CW Sprinting - Beginners Guide

The North American CW Sprint is one of the most competitive contests
running.† It is, the contest of operators.† It can be, and has been, won from just about every
part of the country.† At the same time, the CW
Sprint can be very intimidating to newcomers.† I
hope this document will serve to help relieve the stress associated with operating the CW
Sprint, and get a few more people active in the best contest in radio.

†

Rules

†

One of the first things to do before operating the CW Sprint is
getting acquainted with the rules:

The CW Sprint has a QSY rule that prevents contestants from
Cqing on the same frequency over and over.† In
the CW Sprint if you work a station by calling CQ , you must QSY at least 5KC before you
can call† CQ again or at least 1KC before
calling another station.†

Mental Preparation

†

The CW Sprint is the hardest contest you will operate.† As such, you should focus on personal
accomplishment and improvement rather than comparing yourself with others.† The only number that matters is the one you are
sending.† The CW Sprint can be† very rewarding as you watch your† scores improve nearly every time you operate the
contest.

Relax!

Stay relaxed.† This is
just a four hour contest, and there will be another one in six months for you to try
again.† Staying relaxed may help your score as
much as anything.

CW Speed Ė Donít Let Em Get You Down!

†

One of the first things you will figure out in operating the CW
Sprint is that the average CW speed is much higher than most contests.† If the speeds are intimidating, that doesnít
mean you canít play.† It just means you
may have to play the game differently than the others.

Because of the Sprint QSY rule, most competitors† find† searching
and pouncing† (S&P) for new QSOs to be
more rewarding , †than it is to call Cq.† S&P QSOs generally make for two quick QSOs per
frequency rather than one.† If you arenít
comfortable S&Ping, given the higher speeds -† you
should call† CQ.† If you CQ you have the advantage of being able to
set your own pace by calling CQ at a speed you are comfortable copying Ė you will be
in a position of control.† I suggest picking a
frequency either high or low in the band, and calling CQ at a speed that you can handle.† If someone answers you at a speed you canít
handle, even if you copy their callsign correctly, ask them to QRS.† When they return at a comfortable speed, send them
your report.† RememberÖ† they want your QSO!
† You be the boss.†

Once the QSO is completed, you will have to QSY 5 KC to CQ again.† I suggest programming two frequencies in your
radio.† One at the top of the band, and
another at the bottom.† Just alternate between
your VFOs with CQs.†

Band Strategy

Most of the activity in the Sprint will be on 20M at the start of the
contest and gradually work down to 80M by the end of the contest.† If you are feeling intimidated by the fast pace of
20M at the start, you might try 40M.† Plenty
of guys spend time on 40 right from the start.† Then,
when the bees start buzzing on 40, move back up to 20.
† You will find everyone has slowed down, and the contest may be more
comfortable.† This would be an excellent time
to S&P if you havenít done so already.

Later in the contest, you may try going to 80M early (around 0230Z).† Then when activity and rate is high on 80
(normally starting at 0300Z), try going back to 40.

Exchange Format

The QSY rule makes it advantageous to send your report in a manner
that gives others listening to your QSO information about who will have the frequency
next.† If you call CQ, you should send your
report as follows:

HIS CALLSIGN† -† YOUR CALLSIGN
† -† NUMBER† -† NAME† -† STATE

Example:

K5ZD W4AN 357 Bill GA

If you find a station S&Ping, then at the completion of the QSO
the frequency will be yours.† In this case,
you will want to send your callsign last so people on frequency know you are the person to
call.

Example:

K5ZD 357 Bill GA W4AN

This is simply done by programming different CW memories with
different messages.

Also remember, you MUST send the callsign of the station you are
working and your callsign with each QSO.

Asking For Fills

Sometimes you will need to ask a station for a fill.† In the Sprint, this can be a trick because of
anxious stations calling the station you are working.
† If you need a fill of information and the frequency begins to fill with
people calling the person you are trying to work, I suggest sending a string of dits
followed by your question.† The dits will
likely be picked up by the station you are working and by others on frequency, allowing
you to complete the QSO.† However, if you are
unable to get the informationÖ† donít
guess.† Remove the QSO from your log.† Log checking is very stringent in the Sprint, and
it is better to be safe than sorry.† It is as
much the responsibility of the station you are working to complete the QSO as it is yours.

Two Radios?

If you are new to the CW Sprint, donít bother with two radios.† Although some of the top-ten finishers will have
more than 100 band changes during the four hour contest, there will be others with less
than 10.† Top scores in this contest have been
made in recent years with as few as two band changes.
† Keep it simple.

Low Power?

Hey, guess what?† The CW
Sprint has low-power and QRP categories!† You
donít need an amplifier to join the fun and you will be surprised at some of the big
numbers people put up with low power and wire antennas.

Software

One of the first considerations for doing the CW Sprint is software.† Although you may be surprised to learn that
several often-time top-ten finishers are using paper, pencil and dupe sheet.†

TRLog:† TRLog is very
well suited for doing the Sprint.† If you are
already using TR, then you shouldnít have much trouble adapting it for the Sprint.† N6TR has written a Sprint how-to with TRLog that
you should also read before starting.

NA:† K8CCís NA also
supports the Sprint.† NA has built-in Sprint
logic that automates some of the finer points of operating the contest.

CT:
K1EA's CT now supports the Sprint and has built-in logic to send the exchange
in the preferred format based on calling CQ vs answering someone as a result of S&P.

WriteLog:† I have never
used WriteLog, but K5ZD is a frequent top-5 finisher in the CW Sprint with it.†

Post Contest

One of things that helped me improve my CW Sprint scores was
recording the contest and playing it back several times just before the next event.† This was very helpful in getting me in the right
frame of mind right from the start of the contest.

Really, really great write up. My one comment for newcomers would be to run high power if you can. CW Sprint is intimidating enough the first time without being beat out in ever pile-up because you are running low power or QRP.

Wonderful source as well as including citations for special article to keep ur work concise. I must admit, I've never worked the whole 4 hours and submitted logs for CW sprint. Always frustrated by rapid fire code at 30 wpm or more---felt as if I was holding up the parade at 16-18 wpm. Well--u showed me how to deal with that as well as other great pointers that should help make the sprint a contest instead of a torture session!

Yes, do read and understand the rules. I was so nervous during my first sprint that I forgot 20 meters was one of the bands included. I started on 40 and couldn't understand why more ops weren't on... (not that more ops on would have necessarily helped me that night)

Great article, Bill! Newbies please note: Although you might be able to survive by CQing only,
moving 5 KHz between QSOs, you will often find yourself on someone else's frequency. There
is a rhythm to the band and it becomes almost channelized as people answer a CQ, assume
the frequency and work another station. On the lead band at any time there are very few empty
slots. You will probably make far more contacts by S&Ping and making two Q's per frequency
than searching in vain for clear spots to call CQ. Yes, the high speed CQs can be intimidating,
but once you get the call, a slow response will usually prompt a slow exchange. And if not, a
"QRS" will elicit a slow repeat.

The heart of the Sprint will be from 025 to 060 on each of the three bands.

I would suggest if you are going to use the CQ only technique because you want to control the pace... then find the edge of the action (where there is nobody CQing or having a QSO) and call CQ there. After you make a QSO, hit VFO-B (which you previously set to the other end of the band) and find a clear spot to call another CQ. Flop back and forth. You will always move 5KC if you use this technique.

I strongly believe that if you are not on top of your CW skills (like copy better than 35 wpm comfortably), then using this method will yield more QSOs than S&Ping the band for guys sending in your comfort zone. Near the end of a band (like when everyone starts to leave), normally people slow down and then it might be useful for you to try S&P. Just depends on your skills.

Let me underscore the need to RELAX! This can be the most frustrating contest you ever operate. I first tried Sprint several years ago, ran high power, did poorly and hated it... REALLY hated it. Later, I tried it again with low power and didn't care about my score. Well, my score ended up a lot higher than those earlier attempts. So relax, go with the flow, take what comes your way and see what happens. Then do it again in six months. See you next Saturday! 73, Gary K9AY

Nice write up, Bill. I'll also underscore the need to stay relaxed, and not to get frustrated. One of the
biggest sources of frustration for a new op can be
the exchange. Make sure that you are comfortable with the 2 basic variations; listen to the examples on N6TR's Sprint Survival pages (in fact, listen to them over and over until the exchange format becomes second nature). Also, having software that is designed for the Sprint will make your life much easier, since it will take some of the possible confusion away. Speaking of software, be sure you are comfortable with it. For example, TRlog, which is a wonderful program, has a rather steep learning curve. Take some time BEFORE the contest to learn the functions! I'll never forget my first Sprint, which was also my first run with TRlog...what a disaster! A week spent prior to the contest getting familiar with the program pays big dividends on contest day.

WheeewBOYY!! I took me 14 minutes the first outing to make a single Q....This site got me up to about 40Q/HR as QRP 2nd time out; I can QSO near 35wpm, but this is a very different thing. Thanks for the sample audio strings - they help prevent "SprintShockSyndrome" that hits us new guys....Good luck all
K1xx 999 JACK CO K0CO

Thank you for the Sprint Beginners guide and I am also new at CW. I have thought of trying the CW Sprint but I cannot figure out where I get a serial number for the exchange..I am sure it is not the serial number of my radio...but, then again..????help please

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